20,000 people evacuated due to blasts at Kharkiv region military depot. Video

Almost 20,000 residents in nearby residential areas have been evacuated due to explosions at a military warehouse near the town of Balaklia in Kharkiv region, according to the Ukrainian Emergency Situations Service.

As of 07:30 Kyiv time on Thursday, March 23, some 2,700 civilians had been relocated from the village of Verbivka to the village of Pryshyb (16 km from Balaklia), 806 from the village of Yakovenkove to the village of Volokhiv Yar (20 km from Balaklia), and over 16,317 people moved to the town of Balaklia itself.

”All the explosions are occurring in the technical area of the depot. But there are single cases of scattered fragments,” the service reported.

The service also informed that passenger traffic through the railway station of Balaklia had been suspended, a reserve route was being used.

”Fifty-five tank trucks, 24 pieces of auxiliary equipment from the State Emergency Situations Service and 362 personnel members are at the scene of the accident. Also, there are 25 ambulances, over 100 paramedics, while the National Police have sent 40 police cars and more than 150 officers. Two fire-fighting trains are on duty at the Shebelynka railway station, ”the report said.